What If
by Dr. Blueneck
Summary: "He looked at the carefree boy wearing a straw hat and thought, why not? Because, really, before Luffy, his life was like a painting lacking colors. Boring, and not worth the sight." Garp never took Ace to Dadan's, and he was left to live in Baterilla. What will this change in his life?
1. Chapter 1

**Author:** Dr Blueneck

 **Disclaimer:** One Piece = Oda's property.

Hi people! Here is a new treat for you, I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm trying my hand at something a bit new (still love writing crack and hurt/comfort, but for this, I'll aim for something more lighthearted… Pray with me for no sneak attack from the Angst Lord…)

I'm sorry for any remaining mistakes. I've written it in a bout of insomnia, so… yeah…

* * *

 **WHAT IF…?**

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise on the silent hills of Baterilla. One lonely home, overseeing the sea from a cliff, had still lights pouring through the badly shut curtains of the windows, and shadows were running to and fro, a sense of rush in their movements. It wasn't long before the sea began sparkling with the first rays of light, and over the roaring waves smashing against rocks, the fresh cries of a newborn could be heard.

Maybe, in another life, had Rouge been able to stall the birth for a few more days, when Garp was supposed to arrive, her baby would've known quite a different fate. But Rouge couldn't, and she still smiled when she was handed the boy ("Ace… Your name is Gol D. Ace, my darling boy…") who curled up against her bosom. And as she cast a look at the sky tinged with pink and orange hues, she let out her last breath, a sweet grin on her pale face, thinking that it was indeed a nice day for her boy to be born.

"Rouge-san?" one of the two maids tending to her asked, gently touching her shoulder, but no reply came. She took the baby from the mother's unresponsive arms, and turned for guidance to the older maid who seemed as lost as she was. It was too early! Someone was supposed to be there to take the infant, but Rouge-san never told them who it was…

As they were starting to panic (because they had a fair inkling about _whose_ child it was), three loud knocks echoed through the little house, making the wooden door tremble. The first maid made to approach it, afraid of who was behind it, but the newcomer didn't wait for her and kicked it open. The two women barely could stifle their cry of surprise as a tall blond man entered the abode, a grim look on his weathered face. In four big strides, he was at Rouge's side. The oldest maid was about to launch herself at him, afraid that he would desecrate the poor woman, but stopped when she saw how carefully he put a hand on her arm, eyes closed to the world. It was only for a minute, but the tall, formidable man transformed into the broken shards of a human, shoulders sagging as if carrying the whole world on them.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh and turned towards the maid holding the sleeping baby. He held out his arms, silently asking for her to pass him. A smile stretched his lips when he saw her hesitation.

"Didn't Rouge tell you? I was sent for Ace. I'm his father's friend."

And she relented (because, really, who but an acquaintance would know about Rouge-san's choice of name?) The man was careful, almost reverent when he took the baby who was fidgeting in his sleep. Without taking his eyes off the newborn, he said, "Thank you for your help."

It was sincere, and they could hear it in his raw voice and see it in the glistening of his eyes. They didn't tell him that they did it out of fear and never really wanted any part in this birth. They didn't tell him that had he never come, they would have surely abandoned the boy somewhere in the back alleys – or worse, surrendered him to the Marines. Instead, they lowered their head and gazed at the floor as he whispered something in the dead woman's ear ("I'm sorry that… wish I could take y-… -on't worry… -ce is safe now.") before disappearing through the broken door, losing sight of him as he descended the hills.

This is how Ace ended up living in a cabana on the other side of the peaceful island, hidden between rocks and palm trees and facing the bright sea of South Blue; unaware of the strong Marine who came two days later only to hear about Rouge's death and no-one able to tell him where the newborn was.

* * *

This is not what Rayleigh imagined for himself when Roger died. He never wanted a child (too much of a hassle) and didn't know what to do with his life now that his pirate days were over.

And then he heard about Garp heading towards Baterilla, and remembered Rouge; the young, fierce woman who wouldn't bend under Roger and wasn't afraid to butt heads with the pirate. He never really understood Roger's infatuation, but grew fond of the woman who was too attached to her land to ever think about joining them. He had feared, at the beginning, that she would somewhat bewitched his captain into leaving his crew to live like a civilian. And when he tried to subtly confront her, she had the galls to laugh at him ("Really, I should be the jealous one. I knew from the start that he belongs to the sea and his crew. I'm just glad to have his love.")

He knew why Garp was going there, and suspected that Roger succeeded in providing a safe haven for his child. But frankly, would Rayleigh let a former enemy raise his captain's child? Would he take the chance, and maybe put Rouge's baby in harm way? He knew the Marines… He heard about what they did to all the newborns of Baterilla after Roger's execution…

This reminder was all he needed to set sail for the island, not stopping until reaching it and having the little Ace secured in his arms. As the first mate, it was his job to ensure his captain's wellbeing. Now that he was gone, Roger's son was his to protect.

* * *

Rayleigh won't lie: he struggled a bit, at the beginning. The kid was always crying, and seemed to never sleep when _Rayleigh_ wanted to sleep. He even considered several times to drop the offending brat into the ocean, but refrained from the sheer fear of having to deal with Rouge and Roger after he died. Sometimes, he begged the little shit to stop screaming, in the brink of tears himself, and other times, the pirate just screamed along with him, startling Ace into silence for a few seconds before he began bawling his eyes out anew – and a new diaper needed to be changed.

The pirate often wondered how he didn't become crazy, with the snotty baby as sole company. But they made it through, and Ace learnt how to walk, how to talk – how to punch, too, and maybe Rayleigh was a little too proud of the first scar Ace gave him.

The more Ace grew, the longer Rayleigh spent time away on his travels. The sea was always calling to him, and even though he felt a pang of guilt when Ace would look at him with blank eyes (the same eyes as Roger, and it was like a punch in the guts when childish disappointment shone in them), Rayleigh would still set sail, promising the boy new souvenirs from his trips. Deep down, he knew that he was not the best when caring for Ace, but he tried, and he stayed, and he comforted himself by thinking that maybe. Maybe that's more than what Garp would've done.

Ace… Ace was a quiet boy. He never blamed Uncle Rayleigh for choosing the sea over him (how could he, when he saw the faraway look in the man's eyes when talking about his adventures with his late father?), and as long as the old man came back, he was fine with it.

He learnt from a young age how to fend for himself, and enjoyed more or less fishing to pass time and sell his catch. The villagers were nice to him, though he could still hear them talking among themselves of how odd the young boy was, always shut away in the old cabana on the beach. Ace didn't mind: it meant less people bugging him, and more time to laze around, barefoot, enjoying the warm sand beneath his toes.

He won't lie: it's true that when Uncle Rayleigh was away, it got lonely pretty quick. That's why Ace would take his little dinghy and float around the island, sunbathing on the wooden floor and waiting for fish to bit on his hook. He'd watch the clouds, imagining stories for each and every one of them, before casting a longing glance at the horizon, wondering if someday, he'd find it in him to leave Baterilla behind and explore the world.

Uncle Rayleigh talked constantly about how great his father was, and that one day, Ace would surely carry on his legacy. And even though Ace tended to grin placidly, he was not so sure of that. It's not that he didn't feel the call of the sea (after all, he spent his days and nights, ass on the sand, staring at the waves as if hoping they would sweep him away), but the thought of leaving his mother's land behind him was overwhelming. It was the only link he had with her ("What of her body? Where is she buried, Uncle Rayleigh?" – "I do not know, Ace. Somewhere in a communal slot, I presume… I wasn't quick enough to retrieve her body.") and somehow, the idea of following on his father's steps felt like betraying his mother and telling the world that he didn't care about her sacrifice.

And so he waited, selfishly hoping to find one day a good reason to leave Baterilla, without hating himself.

* * *

He was twenty when his life took the biggest turn he could expect (for worse or better, he still didn't know.)

Uncle Rayleigh had been away for the better part of a year, but Ace wasn't worried as his Vivre Card was still whole. And as far as he was concerned, the old man could die for all he cared (he was still pissed at him for treating him like a coward! How was it his business if Ace didn't want to leave Baterilla? Rayleigh knew _nothing_.)

The young man stretched and his boat rocked under him. He felt sleepy, and gauged the number of fish in his bucket – enough for a few thousand Bellies. Satisfied, he made to go for his oars when something floating in the water caught his eye.

"A barrel…?"

Intrigued, he waited for it to come near his boat and deftly hoisted it aboard. It was kind of heavy, so Ace hoped for something good – like booze. Already rubbing his hands at his found, he started prying the top open and was surprised when the barrel trembled under his hands before the lid went flying and someone – and _what the fuck_ was a human doing in a barrel? – burst out of it.

There was a second of silence during which Ace took the time to assess his life (and he blamed Rayleigh for all the weird shit happening around him) before surprise really settled in.

"EEEEEHHHHHH?!"

"AAAAAH! I thought I was gonna _succofate_! Thanks for helping me out, man!"

Ace didn't think twice. He took an oar and just smashed it into the stranger's face. He was panicking a bit, okay? Sure, he was no wuss and could take anyone in a fight, but _come on_ , what was a man to do when expecting some alcohol out of a barrel and getting an illiterate Jack-in-the-box instead?

It's true that he might have gone too hard on the poor guy – after all, he never really wanted to _kill_ the damn boy, and he winced a bit when the neck bent at an unnatural angle (Rayleigh _did_ tell him that he didn't know his own strength) but his guilt was short-lived as he saw the head coming back right where it should be _and oh God what is fucking wrong with that human?!_

Could you really blame Ace for insisting on whacking the dude on the head? Because it clearly had no effect, and maybe Ace was beginning to completely freak out. Maybe. Possibly.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE, YOU WEIRDO?!"

"EEEH?! YOU WANNA KILL ME?! SOMEBODY, HEEELLLLP!"

"I'M THE ONE WHO SHOULD YELL FOR HELP! DIE, ALREADY, DIE!"

The boat was dangerously rocking beneath them, and the stranger lost his footing and just grabbed onto Ace, visibly distraught.

"SHIT! I can't swim, make it stop!"

And Ace became very still, and the boy gulped when he saw the crazed glint in the other's eyes before being scooped from the floor and dangled over the sea. He yelped and tried to escape the tight grip, but Ace was having none of that.

"Who the hell are you?"

The stupid boy (because you had to be stupid to smile toothily to someone threatening to kill you) instantly stopped his struggle to reply cheerfully, "Yo! I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be the next Pirate King!"

A smirk stretched Ace's lips. "You? A pirate?"

And he tried hard not to laugh at the thought. After years of living with Rayleigh, the right hand of the infamous Gol D. Roger, Ace just couldn't see this small kid (what was he? Fourteen, at most?) snatching the title away (and Ace won't admit that it kind of bothered him that a total stranger wanted to take his father's place, even though he couldn't give two shits about the man he never knew).

But it was apparently the wrong thing to say as the boy's cheeks burnt a bright red and he started to yell at him. He didn't really listen, too busy trying to salvage his hearing from the screaming banshee. Finally, he let Luffy drop at the bottom of his boat, deeming him too stupid to mean him any harm.

"Listen, kid, I'll try asking around and see if someone can lend you a boat, so you can go back to wherever your home is. I think I still got a map of South Blue, somewhere in my uncle's stuff—" he was cut off by a new scream that almost made him let go of the oars.

"We're in South Blue?!"

"Well, yeah, of course…"

The kid seemed dumbfounded, and clearly confused. So Ace took it upon him to ask, "Why are you so surprised? Aren't you from a neighboring island? Surely you didn't drift all the way here from Grand Line!"

His joke falls flat as Luffy just stared at him with vacant eyes, as if waiting for a punchline that never came. It was Ace's turn to be dumbfounded and he kept glancing at the remains of the barrel and Luffy in turn, waving his oars around. "So, wait! You really spent the whole trip from Grand Line to here in a barrel?! How did you even survive?"

Luffy started picking his nose. "Well. I don't know. I took a nap."

This must be a joke. It was a set-up. Rayleigh was hiding somewhere and laughing his ass off. There was no other explanation.

"I don't even—I'm just—You know what? Never mind. We'll get you a boat, and then you'll scram. I'm so done with this shit… and I still have all my fish to sell—" he stopped abruptly, automatically glanced at his empty bucket and zeroed in on Luffy's mouth where a fin was still hanging.

He was so going to kill the kid before they came back to shore.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this was supposed to be a really short one shot. But then it got out of hand, started a life of its own and I was like, "dude, the fuck are you doing?" but it just sent me a mean look and was like, "don't bother kid, we've got it. Now scram, we're busy building a world." So, yeah, I'm a whimp of an author who gets whipped by their own stories… *shrugs*

Anyway, I _think_ there's gonna be two more chapters. Unless I manage to make a big ass chapter 2. But I like harmony, so I'll try my best to make even chapters… Don't expect a long story, it's a really small verse focused on Ace's life, so we're not going to follow Luffy around… (okay, _I may be thinking_ about playing with the idea of showing Luffy and Sabo's lives without Ace. MAYBE.)

I hope you're so far enjoying this, let me know your thoughts :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author:** Dr Blueneck

 **Disclaimer:** One Piece belongs to Oda.

 **NOTE - EDIT 09/19/16**

 **What If now has a companion story**.

So you may have guessed that this one is about Luffy's story, up until his meeting with Ace.

I posted it under the name Twice Upon A Time, and here is the summary:

 _"In another life, far atop a mountain hidden amidst humongous trees, a family of bandits would've taken care of three rambunctious boys. However, in this life, Rouge died too early, Rayleigh's guilt had won out, and Garp's paranoia had crippled him." This is how Luffy grew up alone, and unwanted._

Have fun reading it (or not!), and know that despite **What If** being marked as completed, I might one day add chapters concerning Ace's life (be it in the future, or in the past). For the moment, you can find snippets of the verse on my tumblr (the link is on my profile).

So, yeah. My job is done here. ENJOY YOUR READING, AND SEE YOU IN THE END NOTES!

* * *

 **WHAT IF…?**

* * *

"I can't believe you ate them raw…" Ace grumbled as he was pulling the dinghy on the beach, sending a dark glare at Luffy who stayed on it, eyeing the water with distrust. Finally, the kid gave him a big smile and sauntered out of the boat, relinquishing in the feeling of steady land after such a long time stuck in the tiny barrel. Ace sighed, already exhausted after less than two hours with Luffy. He stretched and walked towards his cabana, Luffy following in his steps despite never being invited in. Annoyed, Ace slammed the door in Luffy's face, not even surprised when the kid's head _fucking bounced off_ the wood panel. From what he could recall from Rayleigh's stories, it was not so strange to meet people with weird abilities on Grand Line.

He opened Rayleigh's trunk ("Here, Ace. It was your father's. There's some of his most precious belonging in there." There was a longing in the man's unbearably soft voice, and Ace turned away, feeling out of place when the pirate seemed to look at him and saw the shadow of his captain instead of his very much alive son. "Keep it. I wouldn't know what to do with all that.") and rummaged inside, throwing baubles over his shoulder until he found what he was searching. He brandished the tattered map, letting out a triumphant "Aha!" and turned towards Luffy who had already made himself at home.

"Take it," he said, holding out the map, but the kid stared blankly at it, legs folded under him and keeping his hands tightly warped around his shins. Ace waved it under his nose, and when that got him no further reaction than a tilt of the head, he huffed, fed up. "Come on, take it and get outta here. Your parents must be worried now. Were you on a merchant boat?"

He looked around the room, scratching his head with the end of the map and mumbling to himself, "I think I still have a transponder snail somewhere…"

But the kid shrugged. "I don't have parents. Just Gramps, and he'll kick my ass if he gets his hands on me!"

These words had Ace worried for a moment. "Wow, brat, are you a runaway or something? I'm sure your Gramps would be happy to see you again," he tried to reassure the younger male. He was surprised when Luffy adamantly shook his head, crossing his arms and looking a bit scared.

"No way! Last time I saw him, he put me into the ground until I said I was gonna be a marine! He was sooooo pissed when I told him I was gonna run my own pirate crew… Meh, I wonder how he reacted when he got my bounty…"

Bounty? That slip of a boy, who couldn't weight more than an oversized puppy, was recognized enough to have a bounty?

Now, Ace was intrigued. The only other case he knew of a child getting a bounty was Nico Robin. He never really got it, but Rayleigh would just look at him with sad eyes when he asked, so he stopped wondering, letting the man draw him closer to ruffle his hair. "Come on," he finally said to Luffy, gesturing for him to get up. "I'll take you to a boat…" he yawned and stretched his arms, tightening his grip on the map. He threw it at Luffy who fumbled a bit before catching it, and then strode out of the cabana and headed up for the docks.

Usually, Ace would take less than half an hour to get there, but Luffy kept wandering away, poking at a pebble or a shell, asking stupid questions ("Oh, a turtle! It looks yummy! Do you eat turtles?" – "The fuck's wrong with you! Stop looking at the poor thing like that, we don't eat cute, helpless animals around here! You savage…") and rambling about his so-called adventures (frankly, Ace doubted half the things the kid said. C'mon, was he really supposed to believe that the boy climbed a freaking mountain, barefoot and bare hands?) But he didn't really mind them – they were quite entertaining.

Thus they arrived at the docks an hour later, a tired Ace making a beeline for the fishers' boats. "Hey!" he called out to one of the old fisherman, waving an arm in greetings. He tilted his hat and crouched down on the wooden bridge so that he could talk with the man. "D'ya know where I could find a boat for my friend here? He needs to go back to Grand Line."

The old man almost choke on his pipe. "He wanna get tuh Gran' Line on a boat? Innit risky, pal?"

Ace shrugged. "Can't afford more than a sturdy one. He'll have to make do. The kid came in a barrel, if you'll believe it! So a boat will be an improvement, for sure!" He glanced at the fisherman's boat and pointed his chin at it. "What about yours, old man? Wanna make some money?"

The man looked at his empty boat. It's been a long while since he, himself, went out sea to bring fish. Nowadays, he just used it to chill while his wife ranted at thin air. He gestured for Ace to show him the money, which he did, and satisfied, the old man climbed up the bridge and gave him the rope still attached to the boat. "It's yours, pal. Dunno meself if it'll brin' ya far into Gran' Line, but't least, it never failed me durin' sto'ms!"

Satisfied with his good deed of the year – it's not that he was mean, but he never has the chance to interact much with the villagers – Ace put the rope in Luffy's hands and with a simple wave of the fingers as a goodbye, started heading back to his house. But the boy, after looking down dumbly at the map and the rope, trotted after him and cried out, "Wait! Hey, cool-guy, wait!"

Sighing, Ace turned back and donned his best resting bitch face. "What now? You got everything you need to go, so set sail already!"

He was expecting a pout or a shouting match, but what he got instead was a blank stare and tightly shut lips. They gazed at each other for a long time and when Ace got fed up and made to turn away, Luffy gasped out, "I don't know how…"

The boy's hand was clenched around the map, the other loosely grasping the rope, and he was standing in the middle of the wooden bridge in his too big shorts and sandals. He looked lost, and to Ace, he appeared like an abandoned child not knowing what to do now that he was left alone. But this lost kid soon vanished as a huge grin stretched his mouth and he yelled, "I know! You were fishing, so you know how to navigate, so help me get back!"

Ace's jaw dropped and it took a few seconds before the shock turned into annoyance. "No way! I've seen enough of your face to last me through a lifetime."

But he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Come on! You're way too cool to rot here! Don't you wanna see the world?"

The man gritted his teeth. "And you? Why would you go and risk your life on an ocean you can't even control? Look at where you wound up, so far away from everything!"

"Well. I have my crew to get back to. They're looking for me, I don't want them to worry too much, ya know?" He said that with a warm smile that brought a glow to his face, and somehow, Ace felt a pang in his chest – because he could've had that, too, if only he'd followed his dreams.

He felt cheated by this selfish kid who took what he wanted, whenever he wanted. That could've been me, Ace thought. But there was no bitterness in the statement, only remorse and guilt for ever thinking about leaving his mother's memory behind. He was about to say no, to tell him to get lost and be gone, before getting to his dinghy, living once again at the sleepy pace of Baterilla. And then the kid laughed at his indecision, and it sounded like adventure, danger, and fun. So Ace looked at the carefree boy wearing a straw hat and he thought, why not? It's not like he had anything better to do, and he still had to fish anew, thanks to the gluttonous brat. With Uncle Rayleigh gone, the cabana was too quiet and lonely, and Ace was loath to admit it, but he was sick of this peaceful pace, even though he kept telling Rayleigh to piss off when he tried to gauge him into leaving the island (He couldn't keep looking at Rayleigh's stunned expression, which quickly soured into disappointment. "So, that's it? You'll just keep getting at the edge of South Blue to finally tell me you're not coming?" It was the second time. The first time, at fifteen, Rayleigh understood. But at twenty… Rayleigh just felt like giving up altogether. "Shut up. She's my family." – "She's dead." One glare, and Ace told him, "Fuck off, Rayleigh, go and leave me alone, see if I care!" before setting sail back towards his island.)

So he entertained the idea – actually thought the pros and cons, gave it real thought – because, in all honesty, before Luffy… his life was like a painting lacking colors. Boring, and not worth the sight.

His mind set, Ace marched towards him, snatched the map from unresisting fingers and jumped into the waiting boat, making it lurch to the side. One look at his Log Pose still attached to his wrist, and Ace smirked before tilting back his hat and gesturing to an excited Luffy. "C'mon, brat, let's make use of the shiny weather! You're lucky I would know how to navigate even a plank in wild waters!"

Luffy whooped, jumped into the boat and clung to the man as it threatened to overturn. Ace bopped him on the head, already getting pissed at the boy and starting to rethink his life choices. He gave a last look to the docks and the far away hills, before his guts clenched and he turned away. It was just for a day or two, and he'd be coming back – like he always did when going with Rayleigh.

* * *

"What brought you to sail the seas?" Ace asked as they watched the sky slowly burning from orange to light pink, signaling the start of a new day. He was laying on the bottom, hands behind his head and legs thrown over the edge, the surf barely brushing against his bare toes.

Luffy was sprawled on one of the benches, playing with small, stray straws hanging from the frayed hat. They boy shrugged. "Dunno. Always felt like it, I guess!"

The young man snorted, not at all surprised by the matter of fact answer. He looked on as Luffy kept turning his hat on his finger, and reflexively reached for his own. "Tell me about your crew, kid." He didn't know why he asked – he wasn't even really interested in the answer, to be honest, but something akin to longing possessed him when he thought about the purposeful life Luffy led.

A large, toothy grin; and he got his ears assaulted with tall tales of defeating marine captains, meeting overgrown kickass rabbits, and getting lost in deserts. He fell asleep to the soft, yet excited voice of a boy who kept dreaming of the impossible, and kept succeeding in reaching it.

It sounded like romance, like adventures – like actually living.

Ace wondered if he'd been dead all this time.

* * *

Luffy was amazed by the skills Ace displayed as a navigator. He remembered all the days he spent cramped in the barrel, and was astonished when the older man told him they would be reaching Grand Line in a few hours. When he expressed his awe, Ace lifted a shoulder in an uncaring manner, eyes looking briefly over the map. "It's not the first time I've done this travel. My uncle and I…" he stopped there, shrugged anew, and focused on adjusting the sails. "Never mind. Take the oars and keep going east."

They kept quiet for the remaining of the trip, Ace only speaking to give directions when needed, and Luffy growing more and more impatient to meet up with his nakamas. Finally – _finally_ – they reached an island. They were still a long way from Alabasta, but at least, they were on the right part of the ocean. Ace took a look at the map, and after some calculations said, "Well, if your crew isn't half as dumb as you obviously are, they should be about three days from here. If they followed the currents that took you away, that is…"

The kid jumped on the shore, stretching his limbs. "I can't wait to see them again! I hope Smokey didn't give them too much trouble…" he trailed off when he noticed Ace pushing the boat on the water and poking at his Log Pose. "What are you doing?"

Ace sighed, estimating that it'd take at least half an hour before his Log Pose was completely reset. "Preparing to get back, of course! You should ask around the harbor and see if they've taken notice of your ship. It'd be a shame if you missed your crew by a few days…"

"Huh? You're already leaving?!"

He gave the kid a deadpanned look and gestured wildly to the boat floating gently over the water. "Are you kidding me? Isn't it obvious?"

"Oh… But… I thought you wanted to meet my crew!"

"No can do, brat! Still have those damn fish to sell if I want money, and no-one is guarding the cabana while I'm away, so…"

That got him a weirdly soft look, as if the boy could see something that completely escaped Ace, and he bristled. It oddly felt as if he was being pitied. "What?" he blurted aggressively, and Luffy said nothing, so he continued his preparations in silence, glancing every once in a while at his Log Pose.

When it was ready, Ace boarded his boat and looked at Luffy, still standing beside him on the shore with blank eyes.

"So, that's it? You're on Grand Line! It means you're already halfway to an adventure, you know?" Luffy laughed. Seeing the droop in Ace's shoulders, he tackled on, "It's not like there's anyone waiting for you home…"

Ace's hand clenched into a fist and with a speed rarely seen outside of the New World, squarely decked the boy in the face. He was glad for the lessons Rayleigh gave him throughout his life, as Luffy yelped and actually clutched his reddened jaw, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. "OI! THAT HURT, BASTARD! HOW DO YOU KNOW THE FIST OF LOVE?! DID YOU SPEAK TO MY GRAMPS, DID YOU?"

"The Fist of Lo—okay, that's creepy. You deserved that one, you insensitive shithead! I so do have someone waiting for me!"

Luffy snorted and snidely said, in a good imitation that reminded Ace of the old hags, back home, who were always gossiping about him and Rayleigh, "Yeah, right. There was no-one when I was there."

"Why, you little—" he was about to punch him again but refrained. "It's because my uncle is at sea right now! All the more reason to go back, so that he won't worry when he returns to Baterilla!"

He wasn't expecting the kid to punch him back, but he was man enough to admit the boy packed a solid one. Luffy grinned when he saw the other man stumbled backwards. "Who knows if he'll ever come back! I would leave too if I had to live with such a killjoy!"

"Shut up, brat, of course he'll come back!" Ace yelled, and this time, his punch was so infused with Haki that Luffy actually flew and crashed into a tree.

He huffed, trying to calm himself. He knew what the boy was trying to do, and maybe it was working a little too well. But Rayleigh wouldn't abandon him like that… True, it's been more than the usual six months, but they parted angry, and both needed time to cool off. And maybe Rayleigh came up with a big job at Saboady Archipelago. Maybe Shakky needed his help. Maybe he ran into old friends and decided to catch up with them before coming home.

 _Home_. Baterilla was _his_ home, not Rayleigh's. Never Rayleigh's. The old man actually hated it.

He made a tight fist of his trembling hand, and slowly approached Luffy before helping him stand up. "Let's go to the harbor, brat. With the devil's luck you have, I wouldn't be surprised if your crew was in fact dwelling around."

Luffy happily nodded and followed him, not piping a word about their earlier disagreement. He didn't look like it, but the damn brat was sneaky! Pushing him around like that…

It didn't take long for them to arrive on the endless docks, and they searched around, asked questions and Ace let Luffy describe the Going Merry. They've been at it for an hour when the kid finally deflated from all his previous excitement and flopped down on the wooden floor. "I'm not gonna leave this spot. I'm staying right there until my crew comes!" he said as Ace tried to make him stand up so that they could continue their search. He was about to kick the boy into the sea (Ace had never been known for his infinite patience, after all) when a shadow in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He squinted before his eyes widened and he nudged Luffy in the ribs. Hard.

"Hey. Didn't you tell the workers on the docks that your ship had a giant ram head?"

"Yep. The prettiest of all! Merry is so cool!"

And Ace laughed.

Because only this damn brat could have so much luck without even lifting a finger.

"Look at that, kid! Your ship is indeed cooler than I thought!" he pointed at the approaching figure on the sea, and Luffy leaped to his feet, already screaming his voice raw and waving his arms around.

* * *

They split a few hours later, _Straw Hat_ 's crew (and wasn't that a bummer, to know that this kid actually _was_ his father's legacy? He knew that hat looked familiar!) showering him with thanks and Luffy's smile bigger than ever ("Hey, cool-guy, join my crew! What do you say, huh?" He knew Luffy, despite the joking tone, was sincere, and Ace grinned and declined. "You don't even know my name!" A sheepish shrug and the following, "Doesn't matter! I'll keep calling you cool-guy! So?" made him burst in a hearty laugh. "Really, you? As my captain? Please, I've got more standards than that, brat!").

Standing alone on his boat, Log Pose set for Baterilla, Ace unfurled the sails. Then he pulled his Log Pose off and after weighing it in his palm a few times, threw it far away, feeling as if a burden was lifted off his shoulders when it sunk to the bottom of Grand Line. He wouldn't need it, for he had another way to find home.

He pulled out Rayleigh's Vivre Card from a pouch attached to his hip and was pleased to see it tugging north. He debated on which island he should stop at, and decided to forego any stop.

After all, he was on a mad chase towards his remaining family, and the beholder of faraway dreams.

 **OMAKE**

Nami was reading the newspaper, snorting here and there when spotting clear propaganda from the World Government, when the wind picked up and blew the pages in her face. She huffed, annoyed, and dropped the newspaper on the table so she could pull her hair out of her eyes.

When she was finally able to see again, she noticed the new bounty poster poking between two pages, and tugged it out. She almost dropped her jaw when she read it.

"EEEHHH? SERIOUSLY?!"

It didn't take long for most of the crew to come by, alerted by her scream. Luffy snooped over her shoulder, and when he saw the face on the poster, snatched it away, holding it high above his head.

"Shishishi, looks like cool-guy finally set out! Let's see… WHAAAAT?! HOW COME HE GOT A HIGHER BOUNTY THAN ME IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS?!"

Nami chopped him on the head. "THAT'S WHAT CAUGHT YOUR EYE, DUMBASS?! DIDN'T YOU SEE HIS NAME?!"

"Oh, right! Cool name, huh? I like the sound of it, Aaaccceeee… Acccccceeeeeee, shishishi!"

She facepalmed, and Sanji took a look at the poster, choking a bit on his cigarette when he read it.

"Portgas Gol D. Ace… Huh, never would've pegged him for the son of Roger! He seemed so mild… Oi, Luffy, did you know he's the Pirate King's heir?"

"What does that mean?" Luffy asked while picking his nose.

"It means he has more right than you do to become the King," Sanji replied with a smirk.

"HEH? NO WAY! THE BASTARD! HE TRICKED ME!"

 **END**

* * *

 **A/N:** I know it was a short verse, and there are still many things I could tell about Ace's story, and hammered the fine details… But the thing is, I never intended for a detailed story. Because he never really had one, what with living such a boring life. So, yeah, I stopped at the very start of his adventures, and I'm happy with that :D

There's still a lot we don't know about how Luffy ended up in a barrel (of all things) drifting to South Blue. It's on purpose. Because pretty much everything is told from Ace's point of view, and he's not a prying hag and actually couldn't care less about him. And he still believed almost until the very end that Luffy was just being a lying liar who loved to lie, and found it entertaining to pass time. Hence the very few hints we have about Luffy's epic tale in a barrel (you'll get a few more hints in Luffy's series, Twice Upon A Time, but don't expect the full story!)

I hope you're not disappointed with this final chapter (and this story as a whole), I had fun writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! (as you can see, I couldn't completely resist a sneak attack from the Angst Lord, but hey, I tried, and made it better!)

And yes. Luffy spent days around the guy who saved his sorry butt and couldn't be bothered to ask for a name. What can I say, I found it funny that he would never know he buddied up with his idol's son!

So, tell me what your thoughts are, I always answer (even if it can take a while before I reply). For the lovely Guests, know that I answer on my tumblr, you can find a link on my profile ;)

See ya around, chaps!


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